Charlie Laidlaw is an author and tutor at Creating Writers
All books involve conflict of some sort otherwise there would be no point in writing them, or for anybody else to read them.
However, there are different sorts of conflict, several of which may appear in a book:
Personal conflict
For example, if you were to write about someone grappling with guilt over a past, but not forgotten, lover. Or conflict within a family – for example, a secret that refuses to stay buried.
Wider conflict
For example, if you were to write about social upheaval – the impact of a labour dispute on a family’s life.
Or it could be about conflict with nature: for example, a book with a hurricane or typhoon at its centre. Or, at the extreme, about war.
Conflict with the good, bad and ugly
That’s the kind of conflict at the heart of any detective story, horror story or crime thriller.
Resolving that conflict, or conflicts, is what your book is really about. It may be, for example, that you’re writing a detective novel. The central story is about your detective protagonist catching a killer.
But, to be three-dimensional, your detective may also have issues: an unfaithful wife, a wayward daughter, a dark secret. Conflict resolution can therefore be multi-layered.
If you need help getting started, Creating Writers has two creative writing courses, an introductory course and our flagship Diploma course – with a real qualification at the end of it.
They’re intended to give you the confidence and skills to understand what makes great writing.
It could be the start of a whole new journey.
For more information, you can contact us here.